Life on Earth

There are many Chinese people living and working in Rwanda. Many of them I spoke with are operating small wholesale businesses or selling $1 store merchandise. This is what Mr. Liang (below) and his younger counterpart, nicknamed “Xiaomenr“, Little Fella (”That’s what everyone calls me, that’s my name,” he insisted when asked his name), have been doing for the last 10 year and 4 years respectively.

They are what is apparently a large and growing interest of migrating Chinese searching for opportunity across Africa. Mr. Liang credited the easy pace of life and how less competitive and hectic it is living in Rwanda than in his home city of Dalian in Northeast China. While speaking with them in the $1 store, the majority of Rwandan customers I saw were young Rwandans looking for a few small items that they could buy cheap, and then sell for a larger price on the street. The items often don’t have anything in common, so you might see someone selling a nail-clipper set, a pair of shoe laces and compact disc.

In rural Rwanda, Chinese made bikes, Shanghai made phoenix, are all over the place. They are sturdy, rugged and a smooth ride when the road is paved. View a well-used example below. I also met a pair of Chinese engineers building a bridge, a group of Chinese diplomats and consultants, and a Rwandan who works in a Chinese owned quarry operation. I found it strange that during my first week in Rwanda, which I spent by myself, my longest conversations were in Chinese.

I’m still looking for some data, or other online information that might show the actually Chinese presence in Rwanda and the rest of Africa.